Railroad-switch adjusting and locking device



(No Model.)

RAILROAD SWITGH'ADJUSTING AND LOCKING DE V IGR Patented Mar. 2*?

U ITED STATES PATENT O FICE.

REESE e. BROOKS, or SORANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILROAD-SWITCH ADJUSTING AND LOCKING DEVICE.

SPECIFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 274,713, dated March 27, 1883.

Application filed January 9, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, REESE G. BaooKs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton, in the county of Lack'awanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Switch Ad an arm which forms nearly a right angle with it andextends longitudinally of the rails,and is connected with a slotted rocking bar, to which the switch is connected, as will be hereinafterdescribed; second, in a tapered looking projection or projections provided upon the chair, in combination with the mechanism for adjusting the switch, whereby the movement ot'the free endof theswitch in an upward and downward direction in an arcof a circle enables the switch to become fastened by the projections ineither of its adjusted positions, so as not to. be liable to casual displacement.

By mymode of construction and application of the mechanism great simplicity is secured, and I avoid the heretofore necessity of forming chambers-below the surface of the trackbed and of employingsprings therein, together with various complicated mechanisms, which are liable to become clogged, disarranged, or broken, and thereby render theadjustment of the switch by the wheels of engine or cars uncertain. My locking device also renders the adjusting mechanism much safer.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents myinvention applied toaswitch which at one end is in line with a main single track and can be adjusted at its other or free end in line with either the main rails of a track or in line with the rails of another or diverging track. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through a sleeper, showing the switch, switchbar,hand-levers, and chair-plate with lookingstops, (see line 0250;) and Fig. 3 is a detail sec-' tion in the line :12 cc of Fig. 1, through the switch-trip of the main track, and showing by dotted lines the switch-trip of the sidetrack,

which trip in this section is cut away and] would not be seen.

A A in the drawings designate sills, B B main rails, and 0 G diverging or siding rails.

D D is the switch, having its end a a fastened by the pivots b b, so that its end a acan be swung horizontally in line with either the main-track rails B B or the side or diverging track rails O O, as usual.

E is the switch-operating bar, connected with pivoted vibrating levers F F. The levers F F are so limited in their movement inward and outward by stops 0 0, against which the rails strike, thatthey stand slightly inclined to levers I form a stop projection, cl, on each of the chair-platesf, and taper these stop projections downward fromtheir middle to their ends, as in Figs. 2 and 4.. These stop projections are so located, as shown, with respect to the inner and outer edges of the base portions of the switch-rail that either the inner or the.

outer edges of these rails bear against these projections when the respective adjustments of the switch are made. These projections serve to lock the switch against casual dis placement in either of its adjusted positions.

It will be understood that the switch,while be-' ing moved'by either of the leversF F, is caused to rise in the arc of a circle, and, owing to this, can ride over the tapered projections, and when the lovers by their movement pass be yond vertical lines then the switch drops down to its normal position and bears against the projections 01, and cannot be moved. laterally until the levers are again moved to vertical positions. In operating the switch by hand either one of the lovers can be used; but of course both will move to like positions.-

Byreferring to the drawings, Fig. 1,'it will be seen that the axis of the lever F consists of a. long rocking bar, F fitted-in bearings g trip H, as illustrated in the drawings.

portions thereof tapering switch-trips or devices H H are fastened by bolts 70 and nuts k, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The bevel ot' the trip-His just the reverse of that of fihe he trip H is placed alongside a diverging rail, (J, while the trip H is placed alongside a main rail, B, as shown. The arrangement of the two trips upon the rock-shaft G is such that when the free portion of trip H is on a horizontal plane with the top of a diverging rail, or a little above the same, the trip H will lie below the top of a main rail, as illustrated by full and dotted lines in Fig. 3. The rock-shaft G is provided with an angular arm, G, which extends longitudinally with the rails, preferably with a slight upward inclination, and its end extends through the oblong slot h of the rocking bar F and by this means the rock-shaft G and the rocking bar F as well as the switch-bar E, are coupled together, as shown.

It will be observed that all the mechanism is arranged above the road-bed, and is readily accessible for clearing away obstructions or for repairs; also, that the combination of parts is very simple and without springs, and therefore not liable to get out of order.

Theoperation is asfollows: The switch having been adjusted with the main-track rails, the trip H will be turned up to the position shown in Fig. 1, and the wheels of the engine in passing over the side track at the tripH will depress the trip, and thereby rock the shaft G and cause it to turn up the trip H to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and simultaneously move down the arm G, rock the bar F move the switch-bar sidewise, and adjust the switch-railsin'line with the siding or divergent track rails, and thereby connect said side-track rails with the main track at the-pivoted end of the switch. Again,

back to the position shown in Fig. 1. In each adjustment of the switch, as described, it becomes locked by the teat like projections against casual displacement.

My invention is especially designed for controlling trains in passing from double or intersectin g tracks to a singletrack'; but it might be used in connection with known switch-shiftin g contrivances which enable. engines to pass from single to-double or intersecting or side tracks. r

I am aware that many plans have been de- "ised for automatically shifting and locking the switches of railroads. I also am aware that trips which are connected, and one of which is What I claim as my invention, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The longitudinal rocking rod F having angular arm h, with oblong slot h in it,in combination with the switch-shifting bar E. switch-rails D, and rocking shaft G, provided with angular arm G, and the reversely-set trips H H, all applied above the foundation, and constructed and operated substantially as herein described.

2. The longitudinal rocking rod F, applied as shown, and provided with angular slotted arm h and hand-lever F, for operating the rocking shaft and its trips, and also the switchrails, either by hand or the wheels of the engine, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the chairs having beveled locking projections d, of the switchrails D, switch-shifting bar E, rocking rod F F, and rock-shaft G, carrying tripsH H, all arranged as shown, whereby the switch bar and rails are raised above the projections as they move in the arc of a circle, and are allowed to fall below said projections on either side, and the switch-rails locked by the combined action of the projections and the inclination of the lever F of rocking rod F, substantially as described.

REESE G. BROOKS. Witnesses:

JOHN L. JENKINS, WM. J. MORGAN. 

